Renata Buziak

Navigation

Absence

While working on other projects I wanted to record collected items with and without a camera. Cyanotype proved to be a process of spontaneous and experimental yet rather organised preservation and documentation. Usually I work with abstract ‘biochrome’ images, magnified and without any specific reference to the actual size of the objects used. Working this way I can present great detail and allow viewers’ engagement and interpretation, which depends on their experience and imagination. However, the objectless photograms, even though faithful records, also allow for these additional layers of interpretation and meditation, as well as bringing to our attention qualities perhaps unnoticed otherwise.

The shapes and shadows of the presented cyanotypes result from physical contact of the objects with light-sensitive materials (cotton and silk in this instance) while exposed to sunlight. The sun wraps around each leaf, twig or rock and penetrates through the delicate and transparent forms of jellyfish, bluebottles and petals – leaving behind an impression on the fabric.

Cotton and silk fabric add gentleness and movement to the final traces. I’m interested in prints on fabrics and wearable art, the flow of images and tactile quality of materials, which also led me to collaborations with a fashion designer, a musician and a dancer.

Renata Buziak’s assisted realist reproductions undergo a somewhat strange process of metamorphosis. Buziak extracts everyday objects or botanical specimens and re-contextualises each object onto a cyanotype. The process is somewhat akin to a flatbed scanner, though seemingly a natural process with the assistance of chemical reaction. Objects or negatives are placed onto a material or card, which has been coated with the cyanotype solution, and upon penetration from either the sun, and or a UV lamp, the light transmits the information by staining the fabric.

Buziak’s technique challenges the language of lens base photography, and the relationship between object and light by the inauguration of the natural. The aftermath of the imprinted forms creates a distilling network of structures and patterns. By deploying objects and removing the intended purpose, Buziak re-defines their visual and biological orientation. The fluorescent cyan filter also inadvertently cultivates a new way of perceiving the natural. While retaining an organic presence, these works are strangely erotic and unnerving. Occupying a liminal zone, the works interconnect all life forms, mirroring the cycle of impermanence.